Some cool stuff/what I have been working on...

Ohai.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy...

Look at me, talking to the internet like the girl I "forgot" to call. I need help, don't I? Anyway, I am making another post (obviously) to let you all know what I have been doing recently. Since I have been pretty busy, and have neglected to post as often as I should.

For those of you that do not know, I am a devout League of Legends player. I love the game, the community, all that jazz. I frequent the forums to post, troll, and speak with developers from time to time. I also follow them on Twitter (SHAMELESS SELF PLUG: www.twitter.com/punk_roc) to get updates about the game and random bits of knowledge about the gaming industry. And of course, random stuff about their personal lives. Because, obviously, that is what the internet is for. right?

Recently, some of the more popular "Reds", gained cult-like followings on the forums. And it all started with concept artist IronStylus. He is a lover of parrots (his forum avatar is a Scarlett Macaw) and awesome concept artist. His first ever champion created was the lovely Lady Leona. League of Legends' first female tank character. He is one of the most avid posters on the forums, and is constantly summoned by either placing crackers in the thread, or going: "LEONALEONALEONALEONALEONALEONALEONA". His posts are usually very informative, very funny, or just plain awesome.
One day, forum-goer DeathPizza decided to create a cult that worships IronStylus and the Great Parrot, called the Iron Solari. Of course, Iron was right there, loving every bit of it. It grew, and grew, until eventually we created our own guildlaunch page. Some members even got name changes in the game to put "IsC" in from of their name. This was the first following of a developer, and has since created possibly the most intense forum event in the history of... Well, League of Legends.

The great Riot War of 2011 was started in a thread made by the great IronStylus. It contained the following:

"@Morello - About you macking on my girl.

Standing in the other aisle of desks in front of me.. he began to speak of my lady Leona as a woman to be lusted after.

The gauntlet has been thrown down.

ಠ_ಠ"

This thread garnered lots of attention, as well as response threads which brought about the creation of the New Morello Republic by the biggest forum troll of them all: Shaella. Player Sagarys took it upon himself to create a poll which said:

"Declare your Allegience! The Iron Solari or the New Morello Republic"

This poll received over 4,400 responses, highly in favor of The Iron Solari. Soon after, other factions based off of more popular Riot developers started popping up. The Nikasaur Manifest, a neutral legion of artisans, white knights, and cyber stalkers with Nikasaur as it's leader. The Knights Who Drink Tea, a neutral faction that worships Tryndamere (President of Riot Games Marc Merril) and partakes in Gentleman/Lady conduct and the drinking of tea. The Nyandalegion, a militant faction of poptart eaters and rainbow enthusiasts, spearheaded by Nyandalee. And the Imperium of Tons of Damage, composed mainly of laborers crafting many Trinity Forces for the Phreakemperor. Other, smaller factions came into light as well.
This is a lot of people and threads, as you can probably imagine, and it got my artistic brain going. I started to do some brainstorming, and what started out as an idea, slowly formed into something so grand, I honestly think I might be in over my head.

I originally just wanted to write some fan fiction for the Riot War. Just a short story, for funsies really. As I wrote more and more notes and ideas, I started wondering how far I could take this. I was always more of a Sci-Fi writer than anything, but I have read plenty of fantasy, and I love fantasy games and such, but I got more and more excited as I started writing and expanding. I eventually decided that I needed to find an artist so the story would pop, so where do I look? Deviantart? No way, not my thing. Google? Nah, too much info to go through. 4chan? Obviously the right choice.

If anyone reading this has seen the move Black Hawk Down, there is a soldier named "Griz" who is drawing a picture for his childrens book during the start of the movie. That is the style I was going for. So, in order to find an artist who could do this, the obvious choice was to go to Netflix, open the movie, find the scene with a good shot of the picture, and screencap it. Which I totally did.

This was the picture I posted on 4chan.org/ic/. It got no responses for the first half an hour or so, until one person agreed to do some quick character sketches for me. We met in a chat site, and eventually moved to Steam. He sketched out a quick idea for the main character and a "Phreakonaut" based on some details I gave him. The products he showed me confirmed my crazy thought that this could actually be something good:

This is a concept for the Phreakonaut 

(changed to Imperial Juggernaut to make the names more serious)

And this is the concept for Tobias Argyle, the main character.

As you can see, I found a great artist. I was lucky to find someone this good on a website as ridiculous as 4chan. And so my idea started to unfold. I asked Gordon (the artist) if he would like to do work for the story, which he agreed to. He is working on one of the first illustrations now.

I then approached my good friend Patrick Sullivan, a business major at the University of Texas, about possibly helping me market and advertise this (not like big time, just across the internet or with people at school). Which he readily agreed to after hearing my pitch. So my dreams of making this happen are coming closer to fruition. And we are slowly gaining support on the League of Legends forums, including support from IronStylus himself.

I do not have a definitive date on when the first chapter is set to release, as I need to finish writing and Gordon is still working on the illustrations, but when I do, I will surely post on this blog, as well as the forums. So please, start spreading the word! I will also be releasing a teaser for the story about a week or so prior to it's release. So stay tuned for that.

Thank you all for reading, and don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@Punk_roc) and check out League of Legends (Developed by Riot Game: www.leagueoflegends.com).

Now go outside and do something productive.



For more info about the Riot War, check out this thread:

http://na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?p=16197813#post16197813

For more info about the Convlave of the Iron Solari, check this site out:

ironsolari.guildlaunch.com

If you are a League of Legends player, stop by thread and give it a bump! Much appreciated.

http://na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?t=1415942

List of Movies...

Alrighty. I get asked all the time, "What is your favorite movie? What is your least favorite?" All that jazz. So I have compiled a list (based off the "30 Day Movie Challenge" on Facebook. from now on, anyone asks these questions, I will politely point them towards my blog.

Without further ado, a list of 30 movies!

Favorite Movie of all time: Star Wars: Episode IV
That is right, I am a super Star Wars nerd. It will forever remain my favorite movie of all time. Sc-Fi or naught. This movie, and it's universe has inspired me to become a writer, actor, and all-around universe-saving badass. I think that in itself speaks volumes.

Least Favorite Movie of all time: Monster A Go-Go
This movie was just awful. I mean, come on. There is a monster, wait, no there isn't. MAKE UP YOUR MINDS ALREADY.

Favorite Comedy Movie:Monty Python and The Holy Grail
This was by far the most difficult category to place. Comedy is by far my favorite genre, so choosing a favorite movie was so incredibly difficult. Instead of a lengthy explanation, I am going to briefly tell you why I chose Holy Grail and then list some of the others that did not make the cut.
I chose Monty Python and the Holy Grail because this movie consistently makes me laugh every single time I re-watch it. And I have seen it a good 100+ times (no exaggeration). That to me equals the best comedy movie ever.
Ad for those that didn't quite make the cut, here you go:
Blazing Saddles
Spaceballs
O Brother, Where Art Though
Fanboys
Animal House
National Lampoon's Vacation
The Producers
The Naked Gun
A Shot in the Dark
Airplane
Young Frankenstein
Ghostbusters
Murder by Death
Fletch
Caddyshack
The Blues Brothers
This is Spinal Tap
The Pink Panther Strikes Again
Monty Python The Life of Brian
Monty Python and The Meaning of Life
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Stopped Worrying and Love the Bomb

See? Told you I had a rough time...

Favorite Drama Movie: The Soloist
I was pleasantly surprised at the acting in this movie. That was the main thing that drew me in. Jamie Foxx's portrayal of Nathan Ayers, the Schizophrenic cello prodigy is nothing short of breathtaking. And Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Steve Lopez brought him back down to earth in comparison to his role of Tony Stark in Iron Man. It was a refreshing change from all the Iron Man hype.

Favorite Action Movie: Aliens
One of the greatest action movies of all time. Headed up by Sigourney Weaver as the kick ass Ellen Ripley. The switch from Horror to Action was well received by many, including myself. James Cameron has my respect for this movie alone (even though I despise the man for Avatar).

Favorite Horror Movie: Alien
As nice as the switch was to Action in the sequel, there is no doubt that Alien is one of the best horror movies ever. It set the tone for a series of awesome movies (some better than others), and it reminds us that, yes, Sigourney Weaver is one of the hottest women in Sci-Fi.

Favorite Animated Movie: Summer Wars
Not Spirited Away? Or Toy Story? Or Who Framed roger Rabbit (That was a close second)? Nope. I have seen many animated films in my short 19 years on this earth, and none of them come close to Summer Wars. Momoru Hosoda reminds us why he has been called "The next Miyazaki". He followed up the critically acclaimed The Girl Who Leapt Through Time with something even more spectacular. I expected nothing less from the man who directed Digimon: The MovieI.

Favorite Thriller Movie: Silence of the Lambs
Oh Anthony Hopkins, the paragraphs I could write about you and your ridiculously superb acting makes me giggle. But I won't, because I am way too lazy. But Silence of the Lambs is an incredible thriller. It kept my heart pounded the whole time. Except the Buffalo Bill Goodbye Horses scene. I think my heart stopped for the entirety of that bit.

Favorite Musical Movie: A Hard Days Night
Time and time again, I will choose A Hard Days Night over Grease or Singing in the Rain. Why? Because of The Beatles. Who knew they were revolutionary musicians, and talented actors? This movie made me laugh the whole way through, and then get very sad when it was over. Knowing that there will never be another awesome comedic Beatles movie is the only awful thing about it.

Favorite Foreign Movie: Seven Samurai
One of the best movies of all time, and definitely the best foreign language movies of all time, Akira Kurosawa's legendary tale is an adventure you won't soon forget. I know I never will.

Favorite Kids Movie: Toy Story
This movie is so good, it was not even fair competition for the other movies in this category. I will never forget the day I saw Toy Story in theaters. I fell in love with the characters and still am to this day. Pixar never disappoints.

Favorite Love Story: 500 Days of Summer
Two of my favorite people every, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zoey Deschanel, star in a beautiful story about a man trying to win a woman's love. I hate love stories, but this one got to me. Got me real deep.

Favorite Chick Flick: When Harry Met Sally
I shouldn't even have to justify this. Seriously. Get out.

Favorite Documentary: Restrepo
I come from a military family, and I will be the first to say, there are not a lot of really well done modern military documentaries out there. Restrepo is the exception. With an endearing story of a group of soldiers in the most dangerous place on earth, and the Observation Post they named after one of their fallen brethren, this documentary based off Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington's assignment for vanity fair gives you a look at what it is really like to be a soldier deployed into combat.

Favorite Play Adaptation: Glengary Glenn Ross
A: Always
B: Be
C: Closing
Seriously, who does not like this movie? With an all-star cast of Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, and Kevin Spacy, rounded off with smooth directing by James Foley, Glengarry Glenn Ross is a treat for the whole family... Well, maybe not the kids. Scratch that, it's so good, who gives a fuck.

Favorite Book Adaptation: Trainspotting
Such a fucked up book, but so good. They did an incredible job of transposing Trainspotting to the big screen. Ewan McGregor portrays Mark Renton perfectly and Danny Boyle's directing is spot on. A must see for any film buff.

Least Favorite Book Adaptation: Eragon
I am a huge fan of Christopher Paolini's books. And the fact that he wrote Eragon at 16! Incredible stuff. But this movie was awful. Just straight up bad. Words can't describe my hate.

Guilty Pleasure: 10 Things I Hate About You
I love this movie. I really do. Maybe it is because I have a soft spot for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, or a hard spot for Julia Stiles. Either way, this is definitely my guilty pleasure movie.

Movie that made me Cry the Hardest: Toy Story 3
I never, I repeat, never cry in movies. Ever. This movie made me shed a tear. I saw this on my 18th Birthday, the night of my graduation. We grew up with Andy. He left for college at the same time we did. And when Woody and the others almost died, I am not gonna lie, I cried. And then laughed when they were saved. "THE CLAAAWWWWWW!"

Movie with my Favorite Actress: Zoey Deschanel as Trillian in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
This was the first movie I saw her in. And I have loved her ever since. I think she does the quirky role extremely well. And it shows in Hitchhiker's Guide.


Movie with my Favorite Actor: Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in Iron Man 
I <3 Robert Downey Jr. That's right. "<3". He was born to play this role. Seriously. There was no one better for it. Flawless casting choice and performance.

Movie I Wish I could Live In: Harry Potter
No one can argue that the Harry Potter world is awesome. Granted, I would want to be a Wizard in the Harry Potter universe. Not a muggle. That would suck.

Movie that Inspires Me: 127 Hours
This was an incredible story of human perseverance. In my opinion, the most incredible. Could you have done it?

Movie with my Favorite Soundtrack: Star Wars
John Williams is indeed "The Man". But the good kind of Man, not the "Stick it to the" kind. His music helped make Star Wars epic. After all, what is a Space Opera without music?

Movie with the Most beautiful Scenery: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Lord of the Rings was gorgeous. Still is. Fuck James Cameron and his Avatar. I maintain that this movie is more beautiful than Avatar could ever be.

Movie I am Most Embarrassed to say I like: The Last Airbender
Yes, yes. I get it. You hate me. That is fine. But at least let me explain.
No, it was not a super awesome OMGWTFBBQ movie. And that is the problem. Everyone (but me it seems) was expecting the movie to do justice to the show and be great. I knew in my heart that there is no way that would ever happen. Avatar: The Last Airbender was a flawless show. Seriously. It was perfect. I went into The Last Airbender with extremely low expectations, and I enjoyed it.
Deal with it.

Favorite Villain in a Movie: Tim Curry as Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers
Tim Curry is fantastic in just about everything. Rocky Horror, Home Alone 2, and The Three Musketeers. This wins in my book. If you haven't seen this, do so. Right now. Charlie Sheen is even in it! Before he was all "Tiger's blood. Winning. Rawr. I do drugs."

Favorite Hero in a Movie: Captain Malcolm Reynolds in Serenity Played by Nathan Fillion
This was difficult. Real tossup between Han Solo and Mal. Had to give it to Mal, because it wasn't fair. Both are badass, but I have mentioned Star Wars enough times I think.

First Ever Movie I Saw: Star Wars: Episode IV
Maybe not enough. Had to get it in there one more time before the list ended. Yes indeed, this was the first movie I REMEMBER seeing. I was three years old, and mesmerized. Still am to this day.

Last movie I Saw: The Big Lebowski
I take this question as "What was the last movie you watched?" not "Which was the last new movie you saw?" Just watched this again on Netflix. Another amazing movie.

So there you have it. A huge list of movies, as well as unnecessary comments as to why I put them in those spots. Why did you read this again? Go outside, Jesus.

Diary of a Mad Bio Engineer

Something I wrote a while back on the Star Wars: Galaxies Beast Master forums. This might be the motivation I needed to work more on it.



><**//SECURE TRANSFER**>
><**//PERSONAL LOG TERMINAL #39768 TO BBP MANAGER TERMINAL #47702**>
><**//ACCESSING LOGS OF DR. GRAF - ID # **ERROR - INCOMPLETE DATA**>
>
Hello,
>
My name is Bopac Graf. I am a Biomedical Engineer and founder of {Graf Industries}. I am currently under contract from Binring Biomedical Products to research, experiment, and discover ways of decontaminating DNA after it has undergone a slight mutation. This is a research log, kept for lawful purposes, so that the BBP may review and determine whether my work is satisfactory enough to warrant funding.
>
>
Day 1:
>
Started testing on a relatively simple, yet commonly mutated, strain of DNA: the Chuba. There have been many reports of these small amphibian creatures becoming mutated, often accelerating muscle growth or enhancing cellular strength. I hope that, with my work, there may be an end to all contam->**//DATA CORRUPTION - LOG INVALID**>
>
<**//ATTEMPTING TO RECOVER DATA**>
<**//BACKUP LOGS ACCESSED - TRANSFER REACTIVATED**>
>
>
<** SECURE ENTRY 105**>
I have decided to use the backup logs as a way to store my real research notes. It will be under layers of other data that I put together to throw the BBP off of my tracks. I hear rumors that they are making cuts, and they have their eyes on me. They think my work is 'too dangerous'. They believe I might be making the contaminations worse. I need to continue gathering resources before I can start my experiments. If I am going to go through with this, it needs to be done right. I will log again soon.
>
>
<**SECURE ENTRY 106**>
Damned with what the BBP says! I will continue with my research if it kills me! I must successfully replicate a genetic mutation on a Chuba. But not just one mutation. A single cellular mutation may not be enough. For me to push this to the limits, I will need to intentionally contaminate a specimen two different times in order to get the desired results. Results being an almost complete cellular rework. This is incredibly dangerous work, yet I must continue. Although I doubt I wll get anywhere with the BBP breathing down my neck, monitoring every incubation. I have to be cautious. I need their funding, but I am not sure how long I can keep up this ruse.
>
>
<**SECURE ENTRY 107**>
I cannot wait any longer. I have made some calls and some deals that I will regret in the end, but will be worth the hassle if my research yields results. I am afraid they are on to me. I have a terrible feeling, but I must proceed. I am starting my first attempt. I feel that my chances of success are low, yet I must perservere. I must be careful how I approach this. One wrong move, and the BBP will be on me like a pack of rabid Nunas. Either that or... Well, let's just say I might not live to see the end.
>

Multiple posts in one day? I must be insane...

Hello again. It seems there are some people following me and stuff. That is cool. I'm spreading the word about my blog. Not sure why, even I don't find me that interesting. Granted, I am doing it anyway because I am bored. So, I think I am going to talk a bit about Star Wars Galaxies. It has been on my mind recently, and with the imminent closure of one of the best games ever made, I feel it is time to share some of my feelings on it.

Let me start out by saying one thing:

I LOVE STAR WARS GALAXIES

Now that I have that out of my system, I can tell you all why. I have been playing Galaxies for quite some time now. Some would say too much, which is probably true. I have enjoyed my time in this game immensely. Normal people get so put off by MMOs sometimes. "Why would you spend so much time on a computer on something that doesn't even matter?", "Why not go make some friends outside?", "Nerd! Get away from me!"... Well... That last one wasn't really related. But you get my point. I know so many people who will put in hours and hours into first-person shooter games yet, how often does that time show? Sure you are good at the game, but what else do you have to show for it? MMOs to me are all about what you get out of the immense amount of hours you put into it. I'll explain.

There are a lot of things that bring people to an MMO. Things that draw you in. People love game play mechanics, or graphics, content, or story. Whatever it may be, there are things in games that make people come back year after year. In terms of Star Wars Galaxies, it was the Star Wars that drew me in. More than anything, it was the ability to leave my mark on the Star Wars universe. But I got so much more out of it. Yes, the game play is fun, yes the mechanics are neat (I will go much more in depth later), and the story is obviously cool. What kept me going was the people. I have played a lot of MMOs, and I have yet to find a game that forces you to interact with people more than Star Wars Galaxies. 99% of the end game content (armor, weapons, all that) is player-created. Even if you buy three accounts, have all the different kinds of traders and a combat character, and craft all your own weapons and armor, you still need to find groups of players to run content for stat bonuses or loot-able schematics. This game forces you to meet and speak with other people. I suppose you don't have to, but where is the fun in that. Go play a single player RPG.

Back to my original point. An MMO is all about what you get out of it. I got friends! Which might be weird to some of you normal people. I know plenty of people who think that everyone who sits on their computer and plays a lot of games has almost no friends. Not true, in face, it is quite the opposite. We have a lot of really good friends. Mostly because of how often we interact with those that we play with. Sure, you can make some friends when you play Call of Duty, but do you spend hours on end talking to them about whatever is on your mind? I doubt it. Please note, I am sure there are some of you who do, but the majority do not.

This is where SWG sets itself apart. Because of the forced interaction, I have made more lifelong friends than in any other game I have played. A lot of whom I have met in real life, and am still great friends with to this day. It is an awesome experience. Sure, I have a lot of high-end items, cool pets, awesome armor, some paintings and stuff in my house, and a badass weapon. But even when this game goes toes-up on December 15th, I will still have my friends. Gaming is a stronger bond than you'd think. Just remember that normal people, next time you go to make fun of that nerdy guy who plays online game. He has a life, just a different kind.


Man. This was kind of all over the place, wasn't it? Sorry about that. Granted, if you came here for coherent posts, you are probably in the wrong place to begin with. As soon as my thoughts get more coherent, I will be sure to let you all know.

Peace.

First blog? Shouldn't this have "ROC" somewhere in the title?

Fairly sure I was supposed to have a theme going... Ah, screw it. This is somewhere I thought I would never be. Blogging. Not that I have a problem with it. I get a lot of enjoyment out of quite a few blogs. But me? A blogger? "Never in a million years!" my 16 year old self would say. Yet, here I am three years later because of Doc. I shall refer to her as Doc. She'll probably come up a lot, because she gave me the idea to do this, and she is pretty cool. If you can't tell already, I am having issues coming up with a cohesive topic for my first ever blog entry. It is kind of all over the place. I suppose I should introduce myself. Here we go...

My name is Barrett. I am 19 years old and currently live in Winston-Salem North Carolina. Was born in Spokane, moved a lot as a kid. I have lived in five different stats and on two different continents. I speak English and German fluently, and I am an actor by trade. I consider Seattle my home, mostly because a lot of my friends live there, and that is where I graduated high school. I listen to Ska music, rock music, and whatever appeals to me at the time. Mostly Ska music though. I play computer games (probably too much), and I like to ride bikes (probably not enough). I love to act, sing, dance, play music, cook, and write. But I am first and foremost a nerd, and a big one.

I think I have started to come to terms and embrace it recently. I used to hide it some while I was in high school (I did a shitty job) because I was afraid of the social stigma. Then I realized that I just didn't care. I prefer nerds to normal people anyway, we are usually more interesting. Or at least more entertaining. And that is what life is about, isn't it? Well sure, you need to eat and drink and sleep, but what is life without entertainment. Personally, I think we just need to keep entertaining ourselves until we die. That is life. Entertainment until death. Man I ramble about some random shit, don't I? I am usually awful about keeping things updated, but this blog might help that somewhat. It is nice that there is a possibility of getting my thoughts out there to whoever gives a damn. Makes me feel, I don't know... Interesting? Something like that.

I think I am going to leave it there for now. Thanks for reading up to this point. Unless you didn't, in which case, fuck you. Wait... If you didn't read up to this point how will you see that? Whatever. My brain hurts.